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Alliance Military Chaplains Reflect on Veterans Day

Those who have served alongside and shepherded our U.S. forces through active combat share their insights on sacrifice and service.

Hot, dusty, painful, and most of all DANGEROUS! This is how I remember the role Army Sergeant Paul Samarin took upon himself, mission after mission, as a volunteer lead vehicle operator during convoys in and out of Iraq in 2008. The significance of this is that the lead vehicle was usually the one hit first by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), etc. Paul willingly volunteered to stay in this vehicle.

I met Paul as I walked the line offering words of encouragement and prayer. The Lord used our interactions to help Paul jumpstart his faith in Christ, and he is now studying the Word of God in seminary. On this Veterans’ Day, I think of vets like Paul who showed me through their actions what a willingness to lay down their lives for their friends truly looked like.

CH(MAJ) Erik J. Gramling

C&MA Endorsed Army Chaplain

Current serving with U.S. Army Cadet Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky

We have been blessed to live in a nation that is willing to sacrifice its blood and treasure for the sake of those in need. It makes the world a better place. We are blessed to have been given the legacy from our fathers that encouraged us to think of others before ourselves. It makes us a better nation. We have been blessed to have been afforded the opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of that sacred trust. It has made us better people.

Chaplain Lee M. Thompson

Colonel, USAF (Ret)

“Chaplains: A Visible Reminder of the Holy”—this was on the front cover of Alliance Life magazine in July 2001. Do you remember back that far? So much has changed in our country and in our world. I was still on active duty then, stationed in Germany. I retired after almost 26 years of active duty service as an Army chaplain endorsed by The Alliance. Many more have retired since then, and many more have raised their hands to serve their country and their Lord as military chaplains serving with the C&MA.

One of the things that has not changed from that time in 2001 is that Alliance chaplains remain a visible reminder of the Holy One. Military veterans who served in every war have had chaplains serving with them on battle fields, on board ships, on flight lines, in hospitals, and in chapels across the globe. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen understand the need for faith on the battlefield and in everyday life. I served with some of the finest and most dedicated brothers and sisters in Christ while in uniform.

It is no different today. If you have veterans or men and women in uniform serving now and attending your church, please seek them out and encourage them in their faith. Jesus seemed to recognize how important the faith of one centurion was in comparison to others in that nation. Pray for our nation, our leaders, and those who serve in every area to protect and defend. May our Lord be honored in all of this.